Top 50 Pokémon: Rainbow Rocket blasts off again!

[Issun]

I had Jigglypuff at #2. What can I say? It's adorable, iconic, and could fit just as well into a Kirby game as a Pokemon game.

I had Snorlax at #3. A good Sleepyboi and a heckin chonker.

 

[Mogri]

5th
#001 Bulbasaur
Seed Pokémon
Grass / Poison
First Discovered: Kanto (Gen I, Red/Blue/Green)
Score: 144 - Votes: 5 - Highest vote: 1st (Beta Metroid)​

It can go for days without eating a single morsel. In the bulb on its back, it stores energy.

Between Bulbasaur and Totodile, it’s looking like Ghetsis has a type.

Well, I’ll tell ya one thing: he ain’t Normal-type, that’s for sure!

These are the sort of Pokémon that one often receives as a new trainer, yes? Those would be easy pickings for Ghetsis, a man whose life in crime did not historically involve much hands-on theft, I believe.

Ah, the OG #001. Venusaur has been a Grass staple in both PvP and PvE since the very beginning, and little Bulba here holds its own so well it’s currently ranked #4 in the Element Cup, a Grass/Water/Fire Little League tournament. The Shadow version does quite well too.

I'll always have a soft spot for my original starter, even if seeing a Blastoise later gave me buyer's remourse. Also, he's got a fun chip on his shoulder in the cartoon.

 

[Daikaiju]

A good forg.

 

[Beta Metroid]

#1 in the Dex, #1 in my heart! Love this plant critter, and I love its evolution (the blooming flower, the fading spots and the roughening hide). A versatile starter that can heal for days, and its Mega form overcomes some of its traditional weaknesses, making it have a somewhat manageable amount of total weaknesses (which, relative to Grass types as a whole, means it's basically untouchable).

And yes, its personality as a stubborn scrapper who was best pals with Squirtle in the anime helped cement it as one of my favorites. The amount of lives it saved over the course of that show with its vines easily numbers in the dozens (if you count saving the same lives repeatedly). It also had kind of a weird pattern of both getting wrecked by opponents it should beat on paper, and overcoming disadvantages to pull out unlikely wins. And there seemed to be a trend of its most impressive gym and league battle performances never being the focus/climax of those respective battles. No, I'm not bitter about 20-odd-year-old episodes of a children's cartoon, why do you ask?

 

[Falselogic]

bulba bulba

 

[Johnny Unusual]

bulba bulba

Someone is a fan of Nikolai Gogol.

 

[conchobhar]

Bulbasaur's pretty great. I didn't think too much of it back in the day — how could it compete against a turtle or a lizard? — but over the years my opinion of it has only risen, and now it's actually my favourite of the three Kanto starters.

 

[Falselogic]

Is there a list somewhere in this thread? I didn't see one in the first post...

 

[pudik]

the only kanto starter on my list, no surprise to be in the top 5

 

[Mogri]

Is there a list somewhere in this thread? I didn't see one in the first post...

Not at the moment! We'll add one when the list concludes.

 

[Mogri]

Intermission 4: Lysandre vs Ghetsis​

Your last several matches have not gone as successfully as you might have hoped. What’s your feel on the Lysandre/Ghetsis matchup?

For the most part, these two are consummate professionals. I expect this match to go as smoothly as the first one, barring any of Ghetsis’s aforementioned unpredictability.

Well, fingers crossed. The competitors have taken the stage. Ghetsis starts off with the Snorlax/Bidoof power pair, and Lysandre sends out Garbodor and… no, he’s stopped. He’s only sending out Garbodor.

Behold this monument to filth!

Oh, dear Arceus.

The world is beautiful… or rather, it should be. Pokémon like this one prevent us from the beautiful, ideal world that I desire! Only I have the courage to do what is needed to return the world to a beautiful, natural state. Garbodor, use Explosion!

Oh. Oh my.

I’m gonna be sick!

I’m really not sure how this furthers Lysandre’s agenda.

Fools with no vision will continue to befoul this beautiful world. If there is a path to creating a beautiful world, then that is the path I must take! Even if it means stealing every last Garbodor!

Get him out of here and call in a cleanup crew.

 

[Torzelbaum]

Wow. That was pretty bad.

But I just realized it could have been far worse - if that had been Gigantamax Garbodor instead...

 

[Mogri]

So that’s all for round one. To review, Archie triumphed over Maxie in a nail-biting battle, and Piers, Lysandre, Jessie, and James were all disqualified. What does that mean for round two?

Yes, our roster of eccentric criminals – and Piers – behaved in a way that I did not anticipate. But my master plan is still proceeding apa–

Hang on. I’m hearing some commotion down in the stands. It seems a new trainer has arrived on the scene. And with him… who’s that Pokémon?

4th
#104 Cubone
Lonely Pokémon
Ground
First Discovered: Kanto (Gen I, Red/Blue/Green)
Score: 156 - Votes: 6 - Highest vote: 3rd (pudik)​

The skull it wears on its head is that of its dead mother. According to some, it will evolve when it comes to terms with the pain of her death.

It’s Cubone! It seems our new challenger has decided to take on all of Rainbow Rocket, apparently all by himself. Well, given Team Rocket’s propensity for Poison-type Pokémon, you could do much worse than the Ground-type Cubone. This Cubone is holding a Thick Club, which doubles the already-respectable attack of any Cubone or Marowak who wields one. And at the rate this little guy is plowing through these grunts’ Ekans and Grimer, we might just see it evolve right here. Nothing helps you come to terms with your mother’s death like smacking the living daylights out of an army of enemy Pokémon!

Now wait just one second! Is that..?

Aw, the perfect combo of cute, sad, and angry! Granted, the only part of its family that’s made much impact in GO is the usually-raid-exclusive Alolan Marowak, but… okay, that really is a lot of commotion down there, can we get a closer look?

So sad. So determined. So loveable.

 

[Beta Metroid]

Whoa! Great showing for Cubone. Not too surprising, given it's one of the few non-legendary 'mons to have a legit (and moving) backstory. It's also one of those odd video game scenarios that blurs the lines between a species and an individual, but that just comes with the territory of the medium sometimes.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Cubone was my #12, not my #2. My top three has been heavily cemented long before this list: Magikarp, Snorlax and a third one who probably won't show but I'll leave them unnamed just in case. I'm very adamant about this.

 

[Mogri]

Whoa! Great showing for Cubone. Not too surprising, given it's one of the few non-legendary 'mons to have a legit (and moving) backstory. It's also one of those odd video game scenarios that blurs the lines between a species and an individual, but that just comes with the territory of the medium sometimes.

Canonically, all Cubone have a dead mom. How does the species propagate? "Well, perhaps they're born in litters," you say. But unless Mom has multiple skulls, this doesn't bear out. One thing we know for sure: Cubone breeders are monsters.

Cubone was my #12, not my #2. My top three has been heavily cemented long before this list: Magikarp, Snorlax and a third one who probably won't show but I'll leave them unnamed just in case. I'm very adamant about this.

Whoops! That was a copy/paste error. (So was Lysandre instead of Meowth.)

 

[Positronic Brain]

How does the species propagate? "Well, perhaps they're born in litters," you say. But unless Mom has multiple skulls, this doesn't bear out.

After eliminating all possibilities, whatever's left, however improbable, must be the right explanation. Female cubones evolve into a yet unseen form with multiple heads.

 

[Mogri]

3rd
#025 Pikachu
Mouse Pokémon
Electric
First Discovered: Kanto (Gen I, Red/Blue/Green)
Score: 177 - Votes: 7 - Highest vote: 3rd (WildcatJF)​

Pikachu that can generate powerful electricity have cheek sacs that are extra soft and super stretchy.

It is!

It’s that twerp!

This is our big chance! He's outnumbered a hundred to one.

Like Cubone, Pikachu has an item that other Pokémon can’t use. The Light Ball doubles Pikachu’s Attack and Sp. Attack. Even then, Pikachu can’t usually stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the big boys, but this particular Pikachu seems unusually strong. He really is plowing through these grunts at an alarming rate. Was this part of the plan, too?

…

Oh, there he is… you gotta expect the big Pika to show up sometime. You don’t see him much in battle in GO (though both forms of Raichu are often usable), but he definitely holds the crown for the most hats! There have been at least thirty-seven different costumed Pikachu version seen in our world, and while most just have a hat we’ve also gotten Pikachu Libre, Rock Star, Pop Star, and even one in a full Mimikyu outfit. Anyway this particular ‘chu sure is tearing it up out there.

He's the poster boy for a reason. Love that cute dangerous electric mouse.

 

[Adrenaline]

Unless every Cubone is smaller than its mother, the skull most grow along with it as it matures.

 

[Issun]

#3 feels about right for the big Chu. He's the face of the franchise, so he's gotta be up there, but #1 would be a little too on the nose.

 

[RT-55J]

Thos reminds me of an old joke from back in the day:

Q: How do you get a Pikachu on a bus?

A: You don't, because electric type Pokemon are a safety hazard for vehicles that rely on electromechanical signals for operation.

 

[Daikaiju]

Thos reminds me of an old joke from back in the day:

Q: How do you get a Pikachu on a bus?

A: You don't, because electric type Pokemon are a safety hazard for vehicles that rely on electromechanical signals for operation.

Spoiler: Counterpoint

 

[Mogri]

2nd
#722 Rowlet
Grass Quill Pokémon
Grass
First Discovered: Alola (Gen VII, Sun/Moon)
Score: 186 - Votes: 8 - Highest vote: 2nd (Daikaiju)​

During the day, it builds up energy via photosynthesis. At night, it flies silently through the sky, on the prowl for prey.

Our mysterious young challenger has brought out a third Pokémon to deal with the waves of Rocket grunts. I must say, I’ve never seen someone fight so effectively with unevolved Pokémon. This performance is making me re-evaluate a lot of my experience in competitive Pokémon battling.

Don’t underestimate the kid. He’s been a thorn in our side for years.

He’s quickly making his way up to our booth. I would expect Giovanni to be sweating bullets at this point, but I think I detect a slight smile on his face…

Uhhhh I don’t think I have much time here before we might need to start running, so I’ll just say Decidueye was robbed by its current move-set in GO and we all hope it gets better in the future. The backpack with Rowlet in it may be the cutest accessory in the clothes store, though! Now excuse me while I hide behind this desk…

A cute baby owl.

You just want to hug this little guy.

 

[Exposition Owl]

The ‘mon that finally made me break down and play a Pokémon game. Just a fantastic owl.

 

[Torzelbaum]

And a borb.

 

[Falselogic]

I don't know what birds are but Owlet is great

 

[Exposition Owl]

I don't know what birds are

After all, who does?

 

[pudik]

i did have rowlet on my list, but nonetheless surprised at the placement

 

[Rascally Badger]

Good bird, very round

 

[Beta Metroid]

Wow! Great job, little birdie!